Implications of the Built Food Environment

With growing population it is normal to expect this change to affect environmental and health nationwide. By making ourselves aware of these issues allows preparations and changes to decrease chances of diseases and viruses. The biggest environmental concern is obesity because in the last two decades Americans have witnessed noticeable changes in the average body formation by a 10 percent increase. This has become the number one nutritional concern on the public health agenda. Although many do not understand how this obesity epidemic began but speculation is contributed to the environmental changes. Many believe the lack of exercise versus consumption of food is the most logical reason for obesity. The concern of fast food has also remained in the spotlight for unhealthy, greasy, high calorie food. Obesity can contribute to other health concerns such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. With growing population and the increase in obesity finding a solution for this concern is important.

68.8 percent of people in the United States and 30 percent of the entire global population are obese. “Obesity today is officially an epidemic; it is arguably the most pressing public health problem we face, costing the healthcare system an estimated $90 billion a year.” said Michael Pollan in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.”

There are a variety of factors that can cause an individual to accumulate such high stores of fat (Wright & Aronne, 2012). Early researchers of obesity argued that the most common cause of obesity is a high caloric intake, or the consumption of high-calorie foods, that outstrips calories burnt via exercise (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). In other words, people accumulate excess body fat when they eat more calories than they burn, meaning obesity is caused primarily by the consumption of foods that are high in calories but low in nutritional value, and a sedentary lifestyle (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). More recently, however, researchers are recognizing the complex array of variables that interact to cause obesity, including environmental, social, and political factors known collectively as the social determinants of health (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). For example, research finds that our lived environments have been restructured in recent years to promote a culture of overeating: today, high-calorie fast foods are often more affordable than nutritious options, and are made conveniently accessible in the form of food trucks, pubs, and vending machines strategically placed on school grounds, college campuses, and near apartment buildings (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Often, these foods are served in excessively large portions intended to promote the very over-eating that causes obesity (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Moreover, the low priced, processed, ready-to-eat meals available in grocery stores tend to appeal to low-income families who cannot afford to purchase more expensive produce or take the time away from their work to prepare home cooked meals (Wright & Aronne, 2012; Drewnowski et al., 2016). Thus, recent research suggests that the

However, this is not the case as fast food restaurants are vastly spread increasing chances of ordering meals from them instead of cooking at home. This, however, is not a concrete reason to blame fast foods for the heightened levels of obesity in America. There are cases where people do not reside near fast food restaurants but take the time to travel to purchase the fast foods. Thus, it is clear that locality of fast food restaurant is not to reproach for the high levels of obesity in America, but the people bear the blame. People choose to walk into restaurants and order fast foods regularly amid the danger surrounding their decision (Davies, and Hiram 42).

102). One might impugn that it is not poverty but lack of education that affects the obesity epidemic. It does not require a mathematician to comprehend that choosing a two dollar case of Honey Buns as opposed to a six dollar bag of apples will equal more food in the refrigerator. Generally, processed foods are more “energy dense” than garden-fresh foods; they contain less water and fiber but more added fat and sugar, which make them both less satisfying and more calorific (Pollan, 2006). Provisions similar to fruits and vegetables contain high water content that permits individuals to feel satiated rather swiftly. Nutritious meals are more expensive, less tasty, and are more time consuming to prepare, fostering unhealthy eating patterns. On special occasions, parents will treat their children to McDonalds where everything is “super-sized”. Adults and children can acquire debauched consumption patterns because they don’t comprehend the quantity they have enthusiastically ingested. Pollan (2006) stated that “Well-designed fast food has a fragrance and flavor all its own, a fragrance and flavor only nominally connected to hamburgers or French fries or for that matter to particular food” (p. 111).

Obesity, according to the World Health Organisation, is defined as ‘abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health’ (World Health Organisation, 2014). The Conversation article presented by Sacks and Cameron states that close to two-thirds of Australians are overweight and that unhealthy diets contribute to more disease and illness in Australia than smoking (Sacks and Cameron 2014). It then points out that obesity the tripling of obesity in Australia is not merely due to a lack of personal responsibility but with all the changes occurring in the food environment and the increasing supply of cheap, energy-filled

In recent years, information about how our food choices affect our health has started to emerge in popular society. The outrageous percentage of people suffering with diseases such as obesity, diabetes and asthma has people asking questions and looking for causes (and solutions). Television shows such as Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, in which one ambitious English chef sets out to make the most obese city in America healthier, explains just how serious these problems have become. The scenic city of Huntington, WV has been the key driving force of his movement. This city is only a few miles from where I live. The most obese city in America. The state of West Virginia, has been the most obese state in the United States from 2010 through 2012. “Overall, obesity in the U.S. has increased from 26.2 percent in 2012 to 27.1 percent in 2013; the obesity rate was 25.5 percent in 2008” (Huffington post, 2014). This continuously increasing current global issue effects our society, our landscape and our cities. As designers it is our responsibility to understand our environment’s current problems and develop solutions to improve the lives of everyday people. To find solutions to this global issue “Architecture is now part of the national discussion on the obesity and chronic disease epidemic in the United States” (AIA, Fit Nation, 2013). “It’s not just ‘walk more, weigh less,” Friedman says. “This is about

It’s no secret that obesity is a huge issue worldwide; over three hundred million people are clinically obese on the earth. No matter where you go there is bound to be an overweight population; over 30% of New Zealand’s population is obese. In fact, there is an average of above 14% of people that are obese in each country. Fatty and unhealthy foods that are harmful to the human body are served everywhere you go; you just can’t get away from them. Even though obesity can lead to many fatal diseases, it is not a disease by itself. It can harm the body and reduce normal body function, but it can be cured and someone can return to a healthy lifestyle if they have enough determination.

Crawford, D., Jeffery, R.W., Ball, K. & Brug, J. (Eds.). (2010). Obesity Epidemiology: From Aetiology to Public Health (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Introduction According to statistical data, Australia is currently more obese than America. Obesity in Australia over the past few years has been described as an ‘epidemic’ which is ‘frequently expanding’ (Ryan, 2009). Professor Jimmy Bell from the Imperial College in London who is an obesity specialist says that "Genetically, human beings haven't changed, but our environment and our access to cheap food has. We’re being bombarded every day by the food industry to consume more and more food and we are slowly losing the war against obesity.”

The United States has seen a rapid increase in the number of obese adults. More precisely, the late 1970’s marks a point in which the percentage of obese adults started to jump. Within a twenty year period, the percentage of obese adults had risen almost twenty percent. Today, we sit at sixty-eight percent of the population obese or overweight and the numbers only continue to rise. With a boom in the popularity of fast food restaurants in the mid 1900’s, society had easy access to food, fast. Still today, we rely on fast food to feed us, fast and cheap. However, most fast food is not only easy to access, contributing to over eating, but is also very unhealthy. I see this as a major contributor to the issue of obesity.

With the advent of urbanisation and the rise in popularity of fast food, there have been accompanying issues with rising obesity rates – especially in developed countries like England and the USA. After providing a careful analysis of why obesity has risen so sharply in these countries, I shall suggest a number of ways in which the obesity epidemic can be ameliorated.

With the number of fast food restaurants rapidly increasing and bigger clothing sizes becoming increasingly apparent in shops, it is difficult to not notice the high risks of obesity hitting our nation. With the average height and weight for women in the UK being 161.6cm and 70.2kg [Office of National Statistics, 2010] and is considered to have 26.8 bodily mass index (BMI) which is considered overweight [NHS, 2015] and the average height and weight for men in the UK being 175.3cm and 83.6kg [Office of National Statistics, 2010] and is considered to have 27.2 BMI which is considered overweight as

With growing population it is normal to expect this change to affect environmental and health nationwide. By making ourselves aware of these issues allows preparation and changes to decrease chances of diseases and viruses. The biggest environmental concern is obesity because in the last two decades Americans have witnessed noticeable changes in the average body formation by a 10 percent increase. This has become the number one nutritional concern on the public health agenda. Although many do not understand how this obesity epidemic began but speculation is contributed to the environmental changes. Many believe the lack of exercise versus consumption of food is the most logical reason for obesity. The concern of fast food has also remained in the spotlight for unhealthy, greasy, high calorie food. Obesity can contribute to other health concerns such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. With growing population and the increase in obesity finding a solution for this concern is important.

As a result, based on Haspel’s information on how people have certain food pleasures and preferences, not only does the cost of food in America lead to high obesity rates, but the role of all the communities as a whole. Their personal choices play a huge factor as well. This is a prime reason that the obesity factors in America are so high. There are a select few people that will actually take the time to read the nutritional facts on the back of food boxes, others just see the cheaper price and throw it into their shopping cart, without realizing what detrimental health issues could be lying on the road ahead of them, just contained within their shopping cart at that very